In Lithuania, learning how to block tanks with trees is back in fashion

With a tactic in use since Roman times, the abatis, US and Canadian engineers try to stop tanks in Lithuania. -Vasilis Chronopoulos

Russia has lots of tanks. Lithuania has lots of trees. It’s not complicated. That’s why Canadian and American troops in Lithuania recently trained to block roads with downed trees — a useful tactic in the event of a Russian invasion.

Tree obstacles, or abatis, are ancient defensive structures. Roman legionaries constructed tree obstacles around their camps. Then, the idea was to slow an attacker’s momentum given the traumatic, disrupting shock of an infantry assault in ancient battles.